An Introduction to the Free French in Cowes

VTB's Nos 8-11-12

See link below for images and info.

http://www.ww2ships.com/france/f-sc-001-b.shtml

https://forum.warthunder.com/t/vtb-8-the-first-operational-motor-boat-of-the-french-navy/28626

For more images scroll down to see on:

https://forummarine.forumactif.com/t10415p75-la-flotte-des-forces-navales-francaises-libres

French Naval motor torpedo boats, relatively newly built 1935/1939, speed 45/46 Knots

Compliment under 10. The vessels were relatively inactive due to a shortage of spare parts

VTB 8 was listed by the Royal Navy as being used for air sea rescue, later in December 1941 crews were transferred to ML 20 flotilla of British built motor launches based in Weymouth.

A potted history of the Chasseurs Sous-marins

The Chasseurs based at Cowes were built in four shipyards along the English Channel. Chasseurs 5 through 8 were built at Dunkirk, Chasseurs 10, 11, and 12 at Graville, near Le Havre (although some sources reverse the order of construction between Dunkirk and Le Havre). Chasseurs 13, 14, and 15 were built on the Seine at Le Trait. Chasseurs 41, 42, and 43 were built at Fécamp.

https://www.navypedia.org/ships/france/fr_es_ch41.htm

(See conflicting references below)

French submarine hunters: Ships and History.pdf | DocDroid

https://www.navypedia.org/ships/france/fr_es_ch5.htm

Around the time of the fall of France in May 1940, this class of small French Navy vessels, the Chasseurs Sous-marins (submarine hunters), operated in the English Channel and the North Sea, participating in battles around Vlissingen in the Netherlands and in Operation Dynamo, the evacuation of Dunkirk. Chasseurs 5, 6, 7, 9, 10, 11, 41, and 42 were involved in the fighting at Vlissingen and the evacuation (see link).

The Chasseur 9, which is often found in internet searches for Chasseurs, sank (ran aground) at Dunkirk ( Malo-les-Bains) and was never at Cowes.

https://www.adls.org.uk/the-list

https://www.reddit.com/r/WW2info/comments/1txozti/the_fate_of_french_navy_submarine_chaser_ch_9/

After the fall of France, 13 Cowes-type Chasseurs (including Chasseurs 6 and 7) arrived in England and were seized by the Royal Navy as part of Operations Catapult and Grasp.

See the link to the Admiralty War Diary from July 1940:

extension Chrome : efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https://cd.royalnavy.mod.uk/-/media/rnweb/locations-and-operations/navy-historical-branch/pdfs/1940/war_diary_naval_1940_07.pdf?rev=9f229f35089e47cab77a943165f000ad

They operated four ships with Polish crews and Royal Navy officers. Subsequently, some of these ships were handed over to the newly formed Free French Navy, under the command of Admiral Muselier, and operated from Portsmouth.

Their main duties consisted of night patrols east of Portsmouth, as far as Ramsgate (although some reports indicate the Thames Estuary was part of their sector), and westward towards Lizard Point. All these areas included the English Channel coast, notably the Isle of Wight. Escort duties also took them to patrol the western approaches to the Lizard Peninsula, as well as to maintain contact with Portsmouth.

Royal Navy War Diary, 1 October 1941: Patrol in the Eastern Channel

Four Chasseurs patrolled sector QZY271 to the Greenwich Meridian (off Peacehaven) and returned to St Helens at dawn.

https://uboat.net/allies/warships/ship/3649.html

Chasseurs are not mentioned in the link above, but the transit to Sheerness is.

H.32 (Submarine)

The Chasseurs are tasked with meeting the H.32 at rendezvous point 0700/7 and escorting it to Sheerness. (C in C Portsmouth 1043A/3.)

It is desirable that the arrival of the H.32 at Sheerness coincide with the days when the North Foreland channel at Sheerness is swept.

Please make the necessary arrangements for the H.32 to proceed to Portsmouth to await the CE convoy, which will likely depart from Portsmouth on October 10th or 11th. (C in C Nore, 2320A/3.)

Given their size, they were widely used. A report from the captain of the Chasseur 11 Boulogne September 22, 1943 indicates that, starting in October 1941, the ship had travelled 15,700 nautical miles (29,076 km).

On November 11, 1940 (before the flotilla moved to Cowes), Chasseurs 6 and 7 were the first to be lost in an engagement with the German destroyer Greif off Weymouth.

Due to frequent air raids on Portsmouth and the resulting lack of rest for the crews, it was decided to move the ships to the Marvins (Coles) Yard on the River Medina. Thus, from 1941, the remaining 11 ships were transferred to Cowes, where most* were to be based for the rest of the war.

*See Pointe Noir Congo

Most of the hulls of the Chasseurs were made of steel, although 3 ships in the flotilla, those from the Fécamp shipyard, had wooden hulls.

Weighing 107 tonnes as built or 137 tonnes fully fuelled and munitioned, they measured 37.1 meters long with a beam of 5.66 meters and a draft of 1.95 meters.

Powered by two 1130 hp MAN diesel engines with an approximate range of 1200 nautical miles (2222 km) and a declared speed of 15.5 knots.

Their armament consisted of a 75mm gun forward, a 40mm gun aft, two 12.7mm machine guns, and two .303 caliber machine guns each side aft of the bridge. Depth Charge launchers were mounted aft. The ships were also said to be equipped for minesweeping duties. Armament varied over time and from ship to ship.

(see the Engines and Armament page)

The number of crew members seems to vary depending on the source, but it is believed to be around 25 people.

Marvins Yard would eventually house a flotilla of 11 ships, could easily have numbered 275 Free French, plus Royal Navy and base personnel, although the crew list suggests a lower number, but may not be complete; it may also be that there was never a time when the entire flotilla was seaworthy.

The total number of all wartime personnel, including the Royal Navy (53) and the Poles (3), is 393, which indicates 337 Free French over the entire period of the war, so far.

Actions and losses

Bruneval (Operation Biting)

https://mraths.org.uk/?page_id=3103

The British raid involving parachute commandos

In February 1942, elements of the flotilla CH 10, 11, 12, 13, and 43 (CH 42, also present, had to be withdrawn due to engine trouble) took part in Operation Biting, the Combined Operations raid against the German radar station at Bruneval. They supported the motor launches and landing craft tasked with recovering the parachute commandos and technicians from the beach. Their participation is seldom mentioned in reports, although they are depicted on the Bruneval memorial (see below).

The official Admiralty war diary for Sunday, March 1, 1942, page 1, states only: "Four Chasseurs, along with Blencathra and Fernie, escorted the convoy during the latter part of its return to Portsmouth." According to Pierre L'Hours (Chasseur 10), they were chosen to support the convoy's MGBs because of their heavier armament (75 mm guns) and shallow draft (1.95 meters). The Bruneval memorial plaque, depicting the raid, shows five Chasseurs.

HMS Blencathra (L 24) and HMS Fernie (L 11) were Hunt-class destroyers of the Royal Navy.

See below for the entry from the Admiralty War Diary.

Cowes Blitz

On the night of 4/5 May , 1942, several ships of the Free French flotilla, the Chasseurs 5, 8, 11, 13, and 43, participated in the defence of Cowes during the Blitz. One crew member, 21-year-old Pierre Michel Guilcher, from the Île de Sein, was killed. His family in France learned of his death a year later.

See below the IWCP cutting from Marcel Ollivier's article.

For personal accounts of that night, see:

https://www.blyskawica-cowes.org.uk/cowes_blitz/

This story focuses on the role of the Polish Navy in the defence of Cowes, the FNFL are rarely mentioned; however, the local stories are interesting.

This report, written from the fire brigades perspective, includes much involvement from FNFL:

https://www.iwfbf.co.uk/special-features/the-cowes-blitz

See FNFL Cowes Blitz actions at foot of page

Loss of Chasseur 8 Rennes

See also dedicated page and Crew List by Ship page

On the 13th of July 1942 Chasseur 8 Rennes Captained by Guy Perrault, was tasked to escort the FNFL submarine Rubis to Portsmouth, picking up the escort near the Lizard, Cornwall. Ch 8 was en route off Berry Head in Devon, when it was attacked by German planes, the Chasseur was hit by two bombs and sank immediately, with the loss of 26 crew. 1 officer survived (See report by Edward Walton on the Loss of Chasseur 8 Rennes page) thus reducing the Cowes flotilla to 10 ships.

Dieppe (Operation Jubilee)

The first Raid involving Royal Marine Commandos

On the 19th of August 1942 the Chasseurs (Ch 5,10,13,14,41,42and 43) were again engaged in action off the French coast during Operation Jubilee, the Dieppe Raid, accounts of which are plentiful, though scant mention of the FNFL involvement is made. The Chasseurs left Newhaven carrying Royal Marines Commandos and Canadian infantry. Their actions resulted in many decorations that day.(See detailed report below by Max Ibarlucia Captain Chasseur 10 Bayonne)

During this engagement Chasseur 13 Calais took a direct hit to the Bridge, killing her Royal Navy Captain Lieutenant Edward Gervase Egerton, who was buried at sea. His memorial may be seen in the church at Sheriff Hutton Yorkshire (image below), he is also listed on the Portsmouth Naval Memorial.

https://www.gunboards.com/threads/180-weekend-quiz-4u-19-august-1942-dieppe-raid.720650/page-57

On the same day Stoker Second Class Thomas Rumney was injured during the action and died of his wounds aged 18 on the 21st of August 1942. He is interred in St John's churchyard in his home town of Keswick in Cumbria.

http://2ndww.blogspot.com/2012/11/a-hero-of-dieppe-raid.html

To Pointe Noire, Congo

In September 1942 Chasseurs 42 Larmor and 43 Lavandou were dispatched to support Free French actions in Equatorial Africa.

It is reported that their wooden hulls were better suited to tropical conditions.

The group was thus reduced to 8 ships.

Passage corrections courtesy of Robert Sclaminec.

See Bottom of page for Dates and Movements

https://www.naval-history.net/xDKWD-WAfrica1942.htm

The Loss of Chasseur 5 Carentan

See also dedicated page and Crew by Ship List page

On the 21st of December 1943 Chasseur 5 Carentan Captained by Michel Pierre Sauvage was assigned to escort the FNFL submarine Rorqual, from Brixham to Portsmouth. In deteriorating sea conditions Ch 5 was capsized by a huge wave off St Albans Head near Swanage. Reports state that only 7 crew members were rescued with all other crew lost, including the Captain.

Official Royal Navy diaries state 6 rescued

chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https://cd.royalnavy.mod.uk/-/media/rnweb/locations-and-operations/navy-historical-branch/pdfs/1943/war_diary_naval_1943_12---day-16-to-day-31.pdf?rev=a4112afdf50c4c2f8953a60e7dd2eece

See pages 467, 469 and 474 for daily reports, especially those from HMS Rorqual.

This loss further reduced the flotilla to 7 ships, which would remain the contingent until the end of the war.

Base Ships

Based at Cowes was the headquarters ship La Diligente, a Friponne-class gunboat which, before the fall of France, supported the Chasseurs operating in support of the Dutch and French forces around Vlissingen.

There was also an old World War I submarine chaser C106, built in 1919, which was being used as a sick bay.